Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Louisiana''s iconic stew — dark roux, the holy trinity, and filé powder.

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken thighs, cubed
• 1 lb andouille sausage, sliced
• 1/2 cup oil + 1/2 cup flour (for dark roux)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced (the holy trinity)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 lb okra, sliced (optional)
• Filé powder, rice, scallions

Method

1. Make a dark roux: whisk oil and flour over medium heat, stirring CONSTANTLY for 20-30 min until the color of dark chocolate and it smells like toasted nuts. This is the soul of gumbo.

2. Immediately add the holy trinity (onion, pepper, celery) — it stops the roux from burning. Cook 5 min.

3. Add garlic, tomatoes, stock, bay leaves, thyme, cayenne. Simmer.

4. Brown sausage and chicken separately. Add to the pot.

5. Simmer 1 hour. Add okra in last 20 min if using.

6. Serve over rice. Sprinkle filé powder at the table.

What You're Practicing

• The dark roux takes 20-30 min of constant stirring — do not walk away. Burnt roux = start over.
• The holy trinity (onion, celery, bell pepper) is the Cajun version of mirepoix.
• Filé powder (ground sassafras leaves) is added at the table as a thickener and flavor — never cook it (it gets stringy).